Song of Solomon 5
1 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. The friends speaking to the man and the woman Eat, friends; drink and be drunk with love.
Mi derlyng, come in to his gardyn, to ete the fruyt of hise applis. Mi sister spousesse, come thou in to my gardyn. Y have rope my myrre, with my swete smellynge spices; Y haue ete an hony combe, with myn hony; Y haue drunke my wyn, with my mylk. Frendis, ete ye, and drynke; and derewortheste frendis, be ye fillid greetli.
2 I was asleep, but my heart was awake. There is the sound of my beloved knocking and saying, “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled one, for my head is wet with dew, my hair with the night's dampness.”
Y slepe, and myn herte wakith. The vois of my derlyng knockynge; my sister, my frendesse, my culuer, my spousesse vnwemmed, opene thou to me; for myn heed is ful of dew, and myn heeris ben ful of dropis of niytis.
3 “I have taken off my robe; must I put it on again? I have washed my feet; must I get them dirty?”
I have vnclothid me of my coote; hou schal Y be clothid ther ynne? I haue waische my feet; hou schal Y defoule tho?
4 My beloved put in his hand through the opening of the door latch, and my heart was stirred up for him.
Mi derlyng putte his hond bi an hoole; and my wombe tremblide at the touchyng therof.
5 I got up to open the door for my beloved; my hands were dripping with myrrh, my fingers with moist myrrh, on the door handle.
Y roos, for to opene to my derlyng; myn hondis droppiden myrre, and my fyngris weren ful of myrre moost preued.
6 I opened the door for my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My heart sank when he spoke. I looked for him, but I did not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me.
Y openede the wiket of my dore to my derlyng; and he hadde bowid awei, and hadde passid. My soule was meltid, as the derlyng spak; Y souyte, and Y foond not hym; Y clepide, and he answerde not to me.
7 The watchmen found me as they were making their rounds in the city. They struck me and wounded me; the guards on the walls took away my cloak from me.
Keperis that cumpassiden the citee founden me; thei smytiden me, and woundiden me; the keperis of wallis token awey my mentil.
8 I want you to swear, daughters of Jerusalem, that if you find my beloved— What will you make known to him?— that I am sick from love.
Ye douytris of Jerusalem, Y biseche you bi an hooli thing, if ye han founde my derlyng, that ye telle to hym, that Y am sijk for loue.
9 How is your beloved better than another beloved man, most beautiful among women? Why is your beloved better than another beloved, that you ask us to take an oath like this?
A! thou faireste of wymmen, of what manner condicioun is thi derlyng `of the louede? of what manner condicioun is thi derling of a derling? for thou hast bisouyt vs bi an hooli thing.
10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
My derling is whyt and rodi; chosun of thousyndis.
11 His head is the purest gold; his hair is curly and as black as a raven.
His heed is best gold; hise heeris ben as the bowis of palm trees, and ben blake as a crowe.
12 His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, mounted like jewels.
Hise iyen ben as culueris on the strondis of watris, that ben waischid in mylk, and sitten besidis fulleste ryueris.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices, yielding aromatic scents. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.
Hise chekis ben as gardyns of swete smellynge spices, set of oynement makeris; hise lippis ben lilies, droppynge doun the best myrre.
14 His arms are rounded gold set with jewels; his abdomen is ivory covered with sapphires.
Hise hondis ben able to turne aboute, goldun, and ful of iacynctis; his wombe is of yuer, ourned with safiris.
15 His legs are pillars of marble, set on bases of pure gold; his appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.
Hise lippis ben pilers of marble, that ben foundid on foundementis of gold; his schapplinesse is as of the Liban, he is chosun as cedris.
16 His mouth is most sweet; he is completely lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem.
His throte is moost swete, and he is al desirable. Ye douytris of Jerusalem, siche is my derlyng, and this is my freend.
